HANOI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Over 4 million people, or some 4.7 percent of the Vietnamese population, currently suffer from asthma, local newspaper People's Army reported Friday.

    The daily quoted the Vietnam Association for Asthma, Allergology and Clinical Immunity as saying that many local asthma patients have either undergone diagnosis too late, or received incomplete treatment. Annual treatment cost stands at 301 U.S. dollars per local asthmatic.

    The strongest risk factors for developing asthma, a disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, are exposure, especially in infancy, to indoor allergens and a family history of asthma or allergy.